Nebraska baseball is just two days away from opening its season in Arizona at the MLB Desert Invitational, an event where the Huskers will play three games in three days.

The first two games of the event — Friday at 2 p.m. against UC Irvine and Saturday at 7 p.m. against No. 16 Vanderbilt — will be played at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale while the third game, Sunday at 6 p.m. against San Diego State, will be played in Mesa at Sloan Park. Nebraska will then play Grand Canyon at in Phoenix on Monday at 2 p.m.

On Tuesday, head coach Will Bolt announced the Husker pitchers' starting rotation for the four games in four days. Here’s how it shakes out:

>> Friday vs. UC Irvine (shown on MLB.com): RHP Mason McConnaughey

>> Saturday vs. No. 16 Vanderbilt (MLB Network): RHP Ty Horn

>> Sunday vs. San Diego State (MLB.com): LHP Will Walsh

>> Monday vs. Grand Canyon (ESPN+): LHP Jackson Brockett

Here's a closer look at each starter as the season inches closer.

McConnaughey is expected to be Nebraska's ace on the mound in 2025 after a 2024 campaign where he went 9-3 with a 3.45 earned-run average. He had 91 strikeouts in 73 innings and limited the opposition to a .239 batting average along the way to earning a second-team All-Big Ten selection.

McConnaughey is raking in the preseason attention. The Kansan was a second-team preseason All-American selection by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and a third-team preseason All-American pick by D1Baseball.

The former Cloud County Community College pitcher was also named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List. He's the first Husker named to that watch list the since Ryan Boldt in 2016.

In 13 outings, including four starts, on the mound last year as a freshman, Horn recorded a record of 1-1 with a save. The native of Halstead, Kan., had a 5.91 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 21.1 innings, allowing 29 hits and nine walks.

Horn was a stud recruit in Kansas. He was ranked the No. 2 right-handed pitcher and No. 3 overall prospect in the state by Prep Baseball Report and named All-Class and Class 5A Pitcher of the Year after going 6-0 with an eye-catching 0.00 ERA in 38.1 innings of work. Horn struck out 65 batters as a senior, walked just nine and gave up 12 hits.

Walsh was a two-way player for Nebraska in 2024 and played in 28 games.

At the plate he hit .235 with five home runs and 14 runs batted in. His slugging percentage of .706 was tops on the team. On the mound, Walsh made 14 appearances with 10 starts. He went 5-4 with a 5.06 ERA and totaled 43 strikeouts in 58.2 innings.

Walsh was a star in a Big Ten Tournament elimination game against Indiana — he struck out five batters and limited the Hoosiers to six hits and two runs. That performance earned him a spot on the All-Tournament team.

Walsh stayed in Lincoln over the summer and had a focus of improving his body as a pitcher.

"He’s stronger in some different areas that are more suitable for pitchers," Bolt said. "I think he did some things this summer that got him moving a little faster on the mound.”

Walsh’s misses have always been small, Bolt added, but the hope is with Walsh picking up the pace on the mound, his margin for error becomes bigger and his stuff is sharper.

"He doesn't have to rely on sneaking 87 (miles per hour) by guys as much anymore," Bolt said. "So I think it's benefitted him. I think more than anything, him staying home this summer, making that decision to just kind of go to work on some of that stuff, has allowed him to be in this position to start opening weekend."

Brockett played in 13 games with seven starts on the mound in 2024.

The highlight of his season was a stellar and historic outing against Kansas State on May 1. Nebraska won 8-0 in Lincoln and Brocket no-hit the Wildcats while striking out 12 and walking two. It marked the sixth individual no-hitter in Nebraska history and the first nine-inning no-hitter since 1954.

For the season, Brockett went 3-3 with a 4.91 ERA and had 29 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. Opposing batters hit .264 against Brockett.

Junior left-hander Jalen Worthley will start the season in the pen, a role he did well in last year when he recorded the second-most relief appearances with 22.

The 5-10, 185-pound Lincoln East product had a 3-0 record and his five saves on the season tied for the team lead. Worthley had 33 strikeouts and a 3.60 ERA in 35 innings while holding batters to a .223 batting average.

Being a starter or a bullpen arm was a discussion between Worthley and Bolt all offseason. Bolt said Worthley recognizes that, if he starts, the bullpen won't be as strong. Bolt said Worthley's willingness to stay in the pen speaks to the culture of the team — it wants to win, and win now.

"Jalen wants to be there in the big moments. He understands those big moments may be in the seventh or eighth inning just as much as the first," Bolt said. "So he'll be coming out of the pen, he'll have his cleats on every day."

Bolt said Worthley went to work this offseason to improve his arm strength so there's no drop-off with his stuff during a week with multiple appearances.

"Last year, him learning and navigating through it, the second time in the week his stuff was kind of down," Bolt said. "So we're just going to try to keep him consistent this year."

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